I'm intrigued by this pending atrocity!
I presume Curtain, you are referring to the fact that 27000 CX employees and their spouses and their offspring, on their FOC 11s, will be able to muscle in ahead of a 16-year captain on his own airline's aircraft trying to get home as a commuter to his own family in HKT, BKI or a myriad of other ports?
This is a Group Staff Travel Scheme. I'm amazed that some of you honestly think the DPA holds so much sway over the very senior managers in CX that had them quaking in their boots at the whisper of KA going into contract compliance! Whilst the DPAC are probably flattered by that thought, I think that it is as far away from reality as it is that the remaining 2500 folk left in KA will all use their FOC 11s to jump on CX flights to SYD.
Well over 70% of the Group's staff are Chinese. Ergo, it is logical that some 20000 CX staff will be welcoming the chance to get home to their home cities with a degree of certainty.
All of us, both CX and KA are left in a lose/lose situation. We all have a choice. We can chose to stay on the current schemes, such as they are, which will still affect your boarding priority regardless, or we can elect to sign to the new Group Travel Scheme, which will also have boarding priority issues and for a very small number, some 200, will cost them money too.
Finally, the immaturity of those who threaten to block KA pilots from their jumpseats because of this Group announcement, is just that. I will continue to issue jumpseats to my CX colleagues in the same way as I have always. CX pilots will always get a seat on my flight deck if asked.